The Upside
by S.N.Sterling
Summary: Axel never would've thought he'd find true love in the form of comic books, actions figures, and boys with hipster glasses. That was until the little blond kid from down the block walked into Scrooge's Comics on the most boring Saturday of the year. AkuRoku/Yaoi, AU
1. Saturday

**Chapter 1: Saturday**

Summer had to be _the _worst time of the year in the small-town, urban civilization of Radiant Springs. Window unit air conditioners seemed to break down every other day, the lack of rain left Lake Desmond too shallow to swim in, and no damn business within the next three miles had proper methods of keeping their establishments cool. Summer jobs were a hassle to book, and bosses were even more irritable towards the flocks of teenage workers than during any other season. In other words, if you didn't have to spend your time outside in the sweltering heat or trying to rake up a few extra dollars in the local stores and restaurants, you were envied by the rest of the town.

For years, Axel had been working to achieve the 'free-man' status during summer so that he could spend it to his liking _elsewhere_. And for years, he always spent his money a little too quickly and a little too irresponsibly to have enough by time the next summer rolled around. And the exact same thing happened this year. He, like many other teenagers and young adults, was forced to scramble around for a summer job in the rundown businesses scattered throughout town – _again._

Hence why the redheaded nineteen-year-old was currently lounging on an old wooden chair he'd dug out from the supply closet when simply standing behind the cash register got too tiring. His boot-clad feet were resting on the counter across from him, and a random comic book he'd grabbed from a shelf was unfolded across his lap. His head was pressed back against the glass of a figurine display case, and his eyes were shut tight as his chest rose and fell in a soft, even pattern. He'd been asleep for at least half an hour now, but it wasn't like it mattered. Scrooge's Comics was as deserted as ever on the hottest, most boring Saturday of the summer.

The distant buzz of wings filled the small comic store as a lone fly made its way through the overheated building, only stopping now and then to land on a shelf before moving on. Old superhero cartoons were playing on the little TV screen hanging from the ceiling, and the smell of cheap plastic and cold coffee wafted through the air. It normally went on like this for hours – no business in sight, a sleeping employee, and the only sounds being those of the sketchy TV and the occasional variation of winged insects buzzing around.

But this time, only a quarter to an hour into Axel's nap, the sounds were met with a new one – the small tinkling of the bell above the front door and the creaky screech of the oil-less hinges. A young teen with a head covered by a mess of blond hair peeked into the nearly abandoned store before stepping in and letting the door clatter shut behind him. Looking over his shoulder at the rickety old thing, he gave a shrug and adjusted the thick black glasses resting on the bridge of his nose.

"Hello? Anyone in here?" he called out, moving to make his way through the empty aisle created by the lines of shelves on either side. His eyes wandered around the room as he walked over to the cash register and glanced around, looking for any sign of life. He gave a small snort when he saw the only employee in the building snoozing away with a dated comic book in his lap. Seeing a small bell beside the register, the blond raised a thin eyebrow before hitting the top of it once, twice, three times. The little chime rang throughout the entire store, but the redhead remained docile.

"Excuse me, I need help," he tried again, raising his voice a little this time. The employee across from him shifted as if he was about to wake up just to slump in his chair more and let out a tired yawn. Left eye twitching in slight irritation, the blond moved to walk around the length of the counter until his right arm was pressed against the display case the other male's head was against. "Hey! Wake _up _already!"

Jolting up from his sleeping position thanks to the shout right next to his ear, Axel let out a disgraceful yelp as his chair clattered from underneath him and hit the wooden floor. He caught his balance on the edge of the counter at the last moment and met the laughing face of whatever disrespectful customer had wandered into the store. Green eyes narrowing suspiciously, he gave the small blond a once-over before standing back and running a hand through his hair.

"Sorry, what did you need again so desperately that you had to wake me up for?" Axel asked in an unpleasant tone, frowning at the shorter boy on the other side of the counter. It was then that he noticed the thick 'hipster' glasses covering the teen's eyes and the little unbuttoned half-vest covering his Batman t-shirt. Well, at least he was dressed appropriately for the place he was currently standing in.

"Oh, I was just going to tell you that your window display is messed up. You have DC characters mixed with the ones from Marvel, and their labels are all wrong. Plus, most of your comics are out of order," the blond responded, smiling at Axel as if it was a perfectly legitimate reason for waking the redhead during his nap. Axel on the other hand stared at the boy in silence for several long moments. He'd been woken up not for this kid to buy something, but so he could be told to _fix _the order of the store that wasn't even _his. _

"And this is a problem _why_…? It's not like I care. I'm only here for the money. So buy something or get out, shorty," the redhead responded in slight irritation and boredom, stepping forward to lean on the counter so that he one, had something to lean on, and two, so that he could get a better look at the now-frowning and near-fuming blond across from him.

"Hey, look, just because I'm short doesn't mean you have to be an ass about it," the small blond retorted, rolling his eyes before stuffing his hands in the small pockets of his grey skinny jeans. "And it's a _problem _because this is a comic store—!"

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious, but this place doesn't get much business at all. Not even from little nerds like you running around," Axel interrupted, a slight smirk beginning to pull on his lips when the smaller male stepped back from the counter and narrowed his blue eyes unhappily.

"Well it's no wonder it doesn't get any business when it's being run by some guy who doesn't even bother to hide the fact he doesn't know what he's doing," the blond muttered in response, not really _wanting _to be mean about this, but the redhead in front of him seemed to be prompting him to.

Letting out a slight snort at those words, Axel moved to lean back for a moment before nodding over to the window display the other male had mentioned earlier. "Hey, this is how I found the place. I didn't set up that display or any of these shelves. I've sat behind this counter since day one – which, mind you, was only five days ago. If you have such an issue with everything, fix it yourself." Axel grinned when he saw the blond go quiet as if he was actually thinking over the suggestion and soon moved to tap his fingers on top of the glass counter. "Well?"

"…Maybe if you apologize for criticizing my height, I'll organize this place for you," the smaller teen finally stated, looking at the redhead for a moment before his blue eyes caught sight of the nametag pinned to Axel's _'Scrooge's Comics'_ t-shirt. "Yeah, that'll work. If you apologize to me about calling me short, I'll fix it myself, _Axel_."

Frowning distastefully when he was addressed by name and was associated with the term _apologize_, Axel stared at the male in front of him for several long moments before sighing and rolling his eyes. "Forget it. I don't even know your name, and you want me to—"

"My name is Roxas. Now apologize," the blond – who Axel now knew as Roxas – interrupted, his blue eyes reflecting his determination to get an apology out of the redhead in front of him. Instead of responding though, Axel continued to stare at the small blond in slight amusement. It almost seemed as if the kid was pleading for him to apologize _just _so that he could go organize the store in peace.

"Alright, alright. Don't get your boxers in a twist," the redhead began, receiving an unwelcoming glare from Roxas as the boy crossed his arms over his thin chest. "I'm so very _sorry _for calling you a shorty, Roxas," Axel apologized and for a moment, both teens were silent as the blond contemplated the apology before he finally sighed and shrugged.

"It's good enough I guess," Roxas muttered, not really impressed by the halfhearted, sarcastic apology, but at least he'd gotten one even if it wasn't anywhere near sincere. About to turn so that he could go fix the display to his own liking, the blond stopped when he saw Axel picking up that chair that had been knocked down earlier. The redhead took a seat in it and grabbed whatever comic he had earlier and tossed it back on his lap, much to Roxas' disapproval. "What're you doing?"

"_I'm_ going back to sleep. You woke me up and it's not like there's anything for me to do while you go all OCD-mode and fix this place," Axel responded with a shrug, looking over at Roxas for a moment before turning his head again and yawning as his eyes slipped shut. He was about to put his feet up on the counter across from him again before blinking when he felt a hand grabbing at his lap. "Whoa there, kid, watch where your hands are—"

"Oh shut up! I was getting the comic!" Roxas interrupted, snatching the magazine-like book from his new acquaintance's lap, not even beginning to want to know what Axel _thought _he was doing – even though he already had a pretty good idea. Shuddering at the thought, the blond huffed to himself and rolled his eyes. "And just for the record, I'm not a kid," he added in as an afterthought before turning and clutching the comic book to his chest, making his way over to the window display.

Staring after the smaller teen for a moment, Axel snorted when he saw the black suspenders hanging down on either side of the blond's hips, the checkered wristband on his right wrist, and his black and white converse covered in superhero doodles drawn with Sharpie. So the kid was even _more _of a nerd than he originally thought. "Whatever you say, kid," he called over to the smaller male, shrugging to himself and getting comfortable again. He heard an undignified huff come from behind one of the shelves, and the redhead couldn't help the smirk that pulled on his lips ever so slightly.

"I'm _sixteen_,thank you very much," Roxas responded, peeking over one of the shelves to see Axel lounging around again. His position was exactly as it had been when the blond found him in the first place, relaxed and uncaring. He knew that if he wanted to, he could practically steal half of the comic books and figures in the store and Axel wouldn't notice. What a terrible employee.

Rolling his eyes to himself, the blond adjusted his glasses before setting the comic he'd taken from Axel on top of a shelf, reminding himself to get back to it later. His feet carried him over to the mess of a display by the window, and he stared at the various figures for a while in contemplation before reaching to begin organizing them. With DC characters on the left and Marvel on the right, Roxas didn't waste much time in setting up an elaborate, _accurate _display. Occasionally, he would leave to find something to suffice as a platform so that it wouldn't look too bland – using things from unused boxes to red solo cups lying around.

Any time he passed by the front counter, he would look over to see Axel dozing off again and would snort and roll his eyes. What if some madman came running in with a gun and started shooting everything? At least the redhead would be able to peacefully die in his sleep. Shaking away the amusing thought of that happening, Roxas went to tend to his display again, making a few final tweaks before moving on to the more disastrous and demanding task at hand – organizing the shelves of comics and figurines. Running a hand through his partly disheveled blond spikes, the teen sighed and set to work, starting on the left.

* * *

Forty-five minutes into organizing the store he didn't even work at, Roxas let himself collapse against the front counter, his arms resting on the glass and dangling over the edge. His right cheek was pressed to the warm surface, and sweat was slipping down from his forehead. Hazily, his blue eyes focused on the forever-sleeping form of the store's only employee. How the redhead was able to sleep in this unbearable heat, Roxas would never know.

The blond couldn't help but to let out a groan as a hand went to pull his glasses from his face, tossing them onto the counter gently before he forced himself back into a standing position. He moved to shrug off his vest, letting it join his glasses on the counter before wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. Grimacing at the slick sweat that glistened on his skin, Roxas rubbed his hand on his pants quickly to get the nasty feeling away.

"Hey, wake up," he groaned halfheartedly, watching Axel's unmoving figure. The blond let out a sigh at the lack of a response before he went back to where he had been when he first woke the redhead. Instead of yelling at him though, he simply went to tug on the teen's definitely-unnatural red hair, not having the energy to do much else. It was like the damn heat was literally leaching the energy from his body and replacing it with heavy exhaustion.

"Wake up and turn the air on or help me," Roxas muttered as he pulled on the redhead's hair, soon letting his fingers tug harder until Axel finally began to stir, shifting in that stupid wooden chair and letting his green eyes blink open. The blond let his exhausted gaze meet the sleep-hazy eyes and he gave an extra hard pull on the redhead's hair to make sure he was awake.

"Ow! Shit, what the hell are you pulling my hair for?" Axel suddenly snapped, jerking his head away from Roxas and nearly knocking over his chair and falling with it like had happened earlier. Luckily, he managed to grasp the edge of the counter just in time to stop the fall, his now-alert green eyes watching the blond in front of him. He'd lost his vest and glasses and Axel was… actually pretty surprised at how cute the kid could be when he wasn't dressed like some 'mainstream hipster'. And the tired look on his face didn't lower his cuteness level either.

Wait, what was he thinking? This kid was a _nerd _– a nerd he just met less than an hour ago to be exact. Shaking his head and sighing a little, Axel leaned back a little to look at Roxas skeptically. "Well?"

"…Huh? Oh, uh, right. I woke you up to tell you to put the air on. I'm dying," the small blond groaned, doing his best not to lean all over the counter like some drunken fool. But he _was _drunk actually – drunk off the desperate need for water and to relax where he could get some decent air conditioning. After all, it wasn't like he'd had any help lifting piles of comic books and transporting them to the other side of the store for nearly an hour.

"Put the air on? I wish. The best you've ever been able to get in this place is the huge fan Scrooge shoved in here years ago. But that broke on my second day of working here," Axel explained, internally laughing at the defeated look on Roxas' face. The boy even let out a low groan of lost hope as his forehead smacked the glass of the counter, smearing the clear surface with sweat. "You know, when you walked in, I had no idea you could get like this."

The blond didn't bother with trying to lift his head at Axel's words, instead sighing and mumbling against the warm glass that unfortunately wasn't magically getting colder like it seemed to do during any _other _season of the year. "Could get like what? I'm not 'like' anything," Roxas muttered, only taking a moment to glance up at the redhead before closing his eyes and sighing in exhaustion.

"You're all tired and needy. And you're completely out of it. Earlier, you were witty and determined. What happened to that, hmm?" Axel questioned with an amused smirk, running a hand through his own hair to fix a few of the misplaced spikes. His hand ended up resting on the back of his neck, rubbing the knotted muscles there lightly. Apparently sleeping with your head bent at an unnatural angle against a display case wasn't exactly the best idea.

"The heat happened to it, that's what," Roxas huffed, staying in his slouching position a while longer before forcing himself to stand on his own two feet again. He looked down to see the mark his sweat made on the counter and sighed, looking around before grabbing a dusting rag from beside the cash register to clean the gross little spot on the glass. "Give me water and give me air conditioning and I'll be back to normal. I'm not the Human Torch. I'm not built for this weather."

Staring at the smaller blond for a moment, it took a while for his words to register in Axel's mind, causing the redhead to snort when he finally realized what he'd said. "The Human Torch? Really? A Fantastic Four reference?" he questioned with a flat tone, mentally wondering why people like the kid in front of him existed. He understood people with obsessions, but he never understood the ones who were so obsessed that they sat around and used references or quotes from whatever they were interested in on a daily basis. Axel watched as Roxas blinked and met his stare, the blond's head tilting to the side a bit.

"You know about the Fantastic Four? I thought you didn't know about any of this comic book stuff," Roxas stated, fairly surprised by the redhead's knowledge of the Human Torch. It sure hadn't seemed that way thanks to how he was labeled as some 'Flameboy' in that window display. Then again, Axel had said he hadn't touched the thing since he started working – not that Roxas actually believed that.

"They're about as far as my knowledge goes. And The Avengers. But I only know about any of them because I watched their movies," the redhead explained, giving a little shrug before he looked around the store for the first time since he'd been woken up again. Piles of various comics were lying around that weren't there before – probably the work of Roxas attempting to actually organize the most disorganized shop in town.

"Their movies? But what about Ironman and Superman – Batman and the Green Lantern? _Please _tell me you've at least seen Spiderman," the blond groaned, leaning on the counter again while his blue eyes focused on Axel's face. The teen seemed indifferent about the different superheroes he'd listed off, simply giving a shrug of his shoulders.

"I've heard of them, but none of them ever interested me. I do know Batman enough to recognize the symbol on your shirt though," Axel responded, nodding towards the black Batman t-shirt Roxas had on. The blond took a moment to look down at what he was wearing before looking back to the redhead again.

"You know of the Joker?" he asked, curious about just how far the other teen's knowledge of Batman went. He was relieved by the slow nod Axel gave in response.

"He's that weird guy, right? The one that says, 'Why so serious?' or whatever. I only know of him because of that line though. I swear Demyx never stops saying it whenever Zexion doesn't laugh at his stupid jokes." Giving a slight shrug, the redhead sighed and looked around for a clock. He had no idea what time it was thanks to his various naps – all of which he was rudely awoken from thanks to a certain customer who thought it was more fun to chat like old friends and organize the store than to buy something and get out.

"Well, at least you know _of _him. Though what you know about him is pretty stupid. And to think I was starting to think you were pretty cool. Oh well," the blond muttered, moving to lay his head on the counter again, his eyes moving away from Axel to wander around the store again. He heard a snort from the redhead thanks to his comment and couldn't stop himself from smiling softly thanks to it.

"Cool? If I _did _know about that stuff, I'd be as lame as you are. No thanks," Axel retorted, stepping back from the counter to fix his work shirt, smoothing out the wrinkles in the rough fabric. "Weren't you supposed to be melting or something? You were complaining about the heat and now you're back to being normal. Can't you choose a mood, blondie?"

"My name is _Roxas. _And I'm not lame. We just have different tastes. At least I'm not the one stuck with a summer job in a place where I most likely won't get paid because no one ever walks through the rusty front door," Roxas muttered in response, sending a slight glare to the redhead. He puffed his cheeks out a bit when he was given one of those 'are you serious?' looks and glanced away again instead. "And I _was _complaining about the heat, but you distracted me. Keep it up or else I'll start complaining again."

"Or, you know, you could just go home instead of wallowing around here begging for water and cool air that you won't get," Axel suggested, letting his eyes fall on the resting figure of the blond against the counter. He heard a quiet huff come the boy and smirked in triumph. "Sounds like a good idea, right?"

"But I have to finish organizing your lousy store," the blond promptly responded, staring at one of the stacks of comic books he'd left on the ground near a shelf labeled 'DC'. To the side of him, Axel rolled his eyes and moved to climb on top of the counter, swinging his legs over the edge before pushing himself off and onto his feet. The redhead stretched his thin arms above his head and yawned, sending a glance to the blond who had apparently claimed the counter as a temporary bed.

"Come back tomorrow and do it then," the redhead stated, moving to lean on the counter with his lower back, placing his hands on the glass behind him. He watched as Roxas looked up at him, the teen's blue eyes still yielding their earlier tiredness and exhaustion. "If you stay here, you're gonna end up dehydrated."

"Are you going to be here tomorrow? The last thing I want to do is walk in here with some other creep watching me organize this place," Roxas grumbled, soon pushing himself away from his makeshift bed to run his hands through his hair in an attempt to fix the disheveled, sweat-soaked blond spikes. He sighed when it only seemed to make things worse and looked up at Axel again before stepping around the redhead to grab his glasses from the counter, slipping them on and adjusting them on the bridge of his nose. He was just about to stuff an arm through the vest he'd shed earlier when the redhead spoke again.

"I should be," he responded, giving a shrug of his broad shoulders before crossing his arms over his chest and watching as Roxas pulled on his forgotten vest. The blond started to fix it along with his shirt, smoothing out the wrinkles that had formed in the soft fabric. "By the way, do you actually need your glasses for anything or are they just part of your style?"

Glancing up from adjusting his clothes, Roxas paused for a moment before he smiled and adjusted the thick frames around his eyes. "I use them for reading, but that's only when I actually _need _them. Otherwise, yeah, I use them as a kind of fashion thing I guess. And I just like how they look," Roxas explained, running a hand through his hair once more as Axel watched him and nodded slightly.

"Right, I got'cha. Well, go on before you start melting and complaining like a little bitch again," Axel ended up replying with a grin, watching as the blond rolled his eyes and let his fingers play with the suspenders hanging loosely from the waistband of his pants.

"Don't touch any of the stuff even if it _is _a bit disorganized and lying all over the place in the aisles. I'll be back around the same time tomorrow," he muttered before stepping back slowly, careful not to trip over any piles of cluttered comic books lying around. "See ya."

"Get out already, shorty," Axel called out as the blond reached the door, a grin gracing his lips when he saw an unhappy scowl on the boy's features.

"It's _Roxas_!" the blond called back with a huff before turning and yanking the door open, causing both himself and Axel to wince at the loud cry of rusty hinges. Muttering something under his breath, Roxas made his way out of the store with a roll of his eyes, not minding the way the door clattered behind him.

Axel stared at the closed door for a minute before shrugging his shoulders and pushing away from the counter, walking over to one of the stacks of Marvel comics nearby. He bent down to pick one of the abandoned books up and started flipping through the pages disinterestedly. His eyes flicked over to the door for a moment, and the redhead grinned as he thought about the nerdy little blond with tremendous superhero-OCD who had just left.

After a while of thinking about what he thought about the younger, smaller teen, Axel ended up coming to one conclusion.

Roxas looked better without his glasses.


	2. Mixed Feelings

**Chapter 2: Mixed Feelings**

_When Captain America throws his mighty shiiield, all those who chose to oppose his shield must yiiield. If he's lead to a fight and a duel is due, then the red and white and the blue'll come through; when Captain America throws his mighty shiiield—_

_Smack!_

Axel was woken for the third time during his regular Monday working hours by the sound of Captain America's cartoon theme song blasting in his ear. His head slipped from where it had been resting in his palm, and his chin smacked against the hard glass of the display counter. With a low, annoyed grunt, the redhead cracked his eyes open and moved a hand to rub at his injured chin.

"What the fucking hell?" he groaned under his breath, green eyes narrowing venomously when they caught sight of Roxas rushing over from behind a perfectly organized shelf to snatch his phone from the counter. The small teen was in the process of tapping the screen repeatedly and pushing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose when he noticed the unconcealed glare Axel was fixing him with.

"Oh, sorry. I got a text message," Roxas pointed out sheepishly, holding his phone out to show the redhead for a moment before he turned it away to focus on the device once more. His blue eyes reflected the contents on screen just as well as his recently-cleaned glasses, and Axel let out an irritated sigh while he watched the boy with a blank stare.

"You know how to text? Well, that's a shocker. Guess you're not old school about _everything_," the redhead mused under his breath, pushing himself up from the slouched position he had fallen into when his chin hit the top of the counter. Across from him, Roxas rolled his eyes and adjusted his glasses once more before slipping his phone into the back pocket of his grey jeans. The blond spikes atop his head were in their typical disarray after a hard day's work of cleaning up the shop, and the usual vest he walked in wearing was missing. Axel assumed it was probably on the back of whatever chair the kid had been using to reach the taller shelves.

"I'm almost done with the left side of the shop. I'm thinking things will go a whole lot faster if I invite some of my friends to come help me." Thinking aloud, Roxas ran a hand through his disheveled hair before wiping it on the fabric of his jeans. Axel snorted and shook his head, shooting down the idea nearly immediately.

"No way, shorty. I'm not gonna sit here and babysit you and your nerd squad for the next week. I'd rather not spend my summer torturing myself," the redhead bit out sourly, his features mixed in a contorted expression of distaste. Roxas stared at him suspiciously and placed his hands on his hips, his head cocking to the side ever so slightly.

"Says he who spends his time sleeping in an old comic book store that smells like sweat, carpet cleaner, and old coffee." Narrowing his eyes at the comeback, Axel waved a hand dismissively and stood from the chair he'd dragged up to the register earlier in the day.

"I don't see what's so torturous about that. Sleeping is a damn nice thing." Snorting, Roxas crossed his thin arms over his chest, successfully covering part of the logo on his navy blue shirt. Axel raised a thin brow and let a smirk play over his lips. "What?"

"If you wanted to sleep, you shouldn't have bothered getting a job," the blond pointed out, his blue eyes narrowing behind his glasses. "It's not like you do anything anyways. Scrooge shouldn't pay you." Axel remained quiet for a moment before a large grin cracked his lips and he let out a bark of laughter, placing his hands on the counter firmly and leaning in towards Roxas.

"And yet he does! I don't think it's your place to be saying if I should or shouldn't be paid," the redhead retorted, emerald eyes flicking deviously as he leaned back again and straightened up, looking down at Roxas. "He even decided to give me an extra couple bills yesterday when he checked in after you left. Said he hadn't expected me to clean up. Thanks to you, I got even more money for doing _nothing_."

Wordlessly, Roxas stared at the redhead in disbelief, his jaw working uselessly as he contemplated something to say in response. Nothing came to mind, however, and the blond settled for scowling at Axel. "I want the extra money he gave you," he stated flatly after several more moments of thought, looking up at the taller male expectantly.

"Oh you've gotta be kidding me," Axel began, rolling his eyes and mimicking Roxas' position with his arms crossed firmly over his chest. "It's my money, brat. Should've thought about that before you willingly did my work for me."

"_I'm_ the one who earned it!" Roxas protested, his hands finding the counter and pressing against it irritably. He leaned forward and stood on the balls of his feet, hoping to match Axel's height at least a little more. His eyes were narrowed dangerously, and the redhead simply looked at him with an amused smirk.

"What's your point? I never asked you to do any of the cleaning or organizing," the taller male pointed out, his tone dripping with amusement and satisfaction. Oh, it was always so fun to get the little blond riled up like this. Even if he'd only known the kid for about a day or two, he'd gotten into the habit of pissing him off whenever he had the chance.

Groaning in irritation, Roxas stepped away from the counter and let out an undignified huff. There was no point in arguing like this. He'd just have to steal Axel's wallet while he was sleeping and take back the money that was rightfully his anyways. "Okay, _fine. Don't_ give me the money that _I _deserve. I don't care," the blond stated, dramatically waving his hands above his head in what he let Axel think was defeat. The redhead only grinned and gave him a, "That was quick," before situating himself in his chair once more.

Roxas rolled his eyes at the gesture and smoothed out a couple of the wrinkles that had formed in his shirt. He'd only been tolerating Axel since Saturday afternoon and he was already tired of the redhead. He had to briefly wonder if the guy was like this to everyone, or if he just liked messing with certain people. Frowning at the thought, the blond shook his head and marched back over to where he'd set up his workplace for the day, cleaning up the mess he'd left behind.

A few open comics were scattered about the floor, and despite the urgent need to put them where they belonged, Roxas reached for one and began to flip through the pages distractedly. When he recognized Power Girl, Cyclone, and Stargirl, the blond smiled happily and paused for a moment to read some of the text on the pages. "Justice Society of America volume three, number nine," he guessed, soon flipping to the title page to see if he was right. Grinning in triumph when his assumption was correct, Roxas set to work filing the remaining comics into their correct places.

Behind the counter, Axel placed his feet on the glass and rocked his chair back against the wall as he usually did when he felt like napping. Instead of attempting to sleep, however, the redhead tilted his head to the side and watched as Roxas wandered around the store with a small pile of three or four thin books in tow. What Axel deemed as his usual suspenders were hanging from the waistband of his pants and tapping against the sides of his knees as he walked. Sometimes the redhead caught himself watching as the stupid things bounced with each step, just as he was doing now.

Shaking his head quickly, the teen let out a sigh, grumbled something incoherent under his breath, and forcibly ran a hand through his hair. His actions caught the attention of Roxas unfortunately, and the blond looked up from where he was shoving a comic onto a crammed shelf. He'd seriously have to promote this place if he wanted his hard work to pay off so there'd actually be _customers_.

"You're not asleep yet?" Roxas questioned in mock disbelief, his eyes dramatically wide and a smile playing across his lips. He fixed his gaze on Axel who rolled his eyes, muttered something else, and adjusted himself in his chair. His arms folded over his chest, and watchful emerald eyes regarded Roxas coolly.

"How can I sleep when you're off mumbling shit about whatever comic you're fanboying over?" the redhead asked between a grunt and a yawn, his attention fixed on the blond across the store. He saw Roxas narrow his eyes in suspicion and let a lazy grin stretch his lips. "What?"

"I'm not fanboying over anything. And it would've been _impossible _for you to have heard what I said," Roxas pointed out, his gaze narrow and filled with skepticism. Axel gave a shrug and let his head tilt to the side casually.

"What can I say? My hearing is insanely good." Grinning idly, the redhead watched as the younger teen grumbled something under his breath. "What was that, Blondie?" Roxas rolled his eyes and muttered something sounding oddly like, "Good hearing, my ass."

Axel couldn't stop himself from biting his tongue and raising his eyebrows curiously. "Hey now, don't criticize my hearing. It's not that I didn't hear you. I just wasn't paying attention that time," the redhead pointed out as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, shifting around to stretch his arms above his head. Roxas scoffed and looked back to his work, placing the last comic in its rightful place. He placed his hands on his hips in approval and gave a firm nod before wandering back to where he had been to start with, taking a moment to return the borrowed chair to the supply closet.

Axel watched with mild interest as the young teen maneuvered around the store once more, a quiet hum resonating from the back of his throat. Even if he did tend to mock the kid and sleep for most of his shifts, the redhead had to admit it was pretty fucking boring to just sit around all day. He wasn't much of an "up and at 'em" person, but he _did _get tired of lazing around _constantly._

Somewhat interestedly, he watched as Roxas resurfaced out of the supply closet and wiped his hands on his jeans, his eyes lowering slightly to watch as the blond fiddled with the suspenders resting against his thighs for a moment. For a while, the kid just stood in place, staring over at the wall-to-floor window on the other side of the shop. Raising a brow, Axel tilted his head curiously before he pushed himself up from his chair and stretched his arms above his head, making sure to let out a loud yawn.

The redhead couldn't suppress his grin when Roxas flinched and looked over at him with a startled expression, his glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose slightly.

"So you really _were _just spacing out in the middle of the shop. Huh, classic," Axel remarked as he turned around to sit on the counter with his back facing Roxas, soon throwing his legs over and planting his feet on the ground once more. Facing the young blond again, he raised a hand to run it through his hair and leaned back against the counter lazily. "Daydreaming about being a superhero or something equally as nerdy?"

Roxas rolled his eyes and absently adjusted his glasses and clothes again before stuffing his hands in the small pockets of his jeans. "Why do you care? Maybe I _was_ thinking about that. Or maybe I wasn't," the blond retorted with a cunning little smirk, his shoulders moving in a soft shrug. Axel stared at him blankly before putting his hands up in defense and sighing.

"Fine, fine, I don't care if you were imagining running around in tights and a cape or not," he replied, a grin beginning to play on his own lips when Roxas frowned and narrowed his eyes dangerously. The blond huffed and turned away after a moment, leaning back against the shelf behind him. He raised a hand to run it through mussed blond spikes and stared out the large window across from him. Axel watched curiously, green eyes training themselves on the blond's figure.

"Hey, stop spac—"

"I'm done for the day," Roxas interrupted, looking over his shoulder towards Axel as he moved away from the shelf and made his way over to the front door instead. The redhead furrowed his brow and watched the teen suspiciously before simply shrugging and shifting to cross his feet over each other distractedly.

"Okay." Roxas paused to look back at Axel, his eyes swiftly raking over the redhead. A little unexplained smile tugged at the corners of his lips and he reached for the handle before pushing the door open and raising a hand against the offending sunlight shining directly in his eyes.

"I'll bring my friends with me tomorrow, by the way," the teen called over his shoulder as he stepped outside, waving goodbye for now. Axel scoffed and rolled his eyes before promptly flipping him off in mock irritation.

"I already said I wasn't babysitting!" he yelled back as the younger male vanished out the door and into the hot summer day. Groaning under his breath, the redhead lifted a hand before dragging it down his face. "Little brat," he grumbled before letting out a sigh and pushing away from the counter. He moved his hand back up to run his fingers through his hair absentmindedly, letting his feet carry him over to where Roxas had spent most of his hours the past two and a half days.

Pausing when he caught sight of a bundle of black fabric on the floor of one of the aisles created by bookshelves, the redhead tilted his head and glanced around the shop instinctively. He shrugged his shoulders after a moment, however, and crossed to the end of the aisle to pick up the object, noting how silky it felt against his fingers.

Frowning slightly, Axel held it out in front of himself before sighing and rolling his eyes when he recognized it to be the little half-vest Roxas had walked in wearing. He gripped the article of clothing between his fingers as he made his way back to the front counter and set it down, staring at the fabric thoughtfully. "Who the hell leaves their clothes at a comic book store? Seriously," Axel muttered under his breath with a short laugh.

_Ding ding!_

Jumping slightly when he was broken from his thoughts by the little bell above the front door, the redhead grinned and turned to face the front of the store, his mouth already working before he caught sight of whoever entered. "I see you decided to come back for your— Oh, you're not Roxas." Blinking slightly at the new kid standing in the doorway, Axel ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Who the hell're you?"

For a moment, the teen seemed to be taken aback by the redhead's attitude, but he quickly shook his head and tucked his hands in his pockets. "I saw the display in the front window, and—"

"Let me guess. You're going to criticize the shop too, aren't you?" Axel interrupted, groaning and rolling his eyes in irritation. He was caught off guard when the little brunet across from him shot down his assumption and grinned at him.

"No, not at all! I was actually gonna say it looked really awesome. And I was wondering if I could take a look around." Shocked by the words, the redhead stared in disbelief for a moment before slowly laughing under his breath and shrugging his shoulders. He jerked his thumb over to the left side of the store and grinned.

"Sure, go ahead. But I suggest you keep to the left side for now," he recommended, watching as the bubbly kid smiled and nodded before disappearing among the rows of shelves. With a little smirk playing along his lips, Axel watched the boy pick through the comics, his face lighting up whenever he spotted something he liked. He chuckled slightly and looked over at the window when he caught sight of a bit of blond hair, blinking in surprise when he could just barely make out the rim of thick black glasses.

Just as quickly as he'd seen it, though, it was gone again and he was left grinning and shaking his head as the brunet nearby grabbed book after book off the shelves. Running a hand through his hair, Axel rolled his eyes and leaned back against the counter, pressing his elbows against the glass.

"_Thanks, you little brat."_

* * *

"Harley Quinn."

"Starfire."

"_Harley. _Quinn."

"_Star. _Fire."

"Damn it! Roxas, would you _please _tell Namine that Harley Quinn is obviously better than Starfire?" Hayner groaned as he waved a comic book around haphazardly. Roxas rolled his eyes and snatched the book from his friend's hand, checking over it to make sure that it was still intact.

"Harley Quinn and Starfire? Huntress beats them both, hands down," the blond responded with a little grin, his eyes darting over to catch sight of Hayner smacking his head against a shelf in annoyance.

"Huntress? Oh god, you're so lame," the teen groaned before sighing and running a hand through his blond hair, brown eyes locking on Roxas as he shrugged and worked on returning comics to their rightful places.

"What about Zatanna? She's pretty cool, isn't she?" Pence questioned from the other side of the store where he was attempting to clear the shelves completely, dropping various comic books into boxes before passing them off to Olette who was working with Kairi to organize them into different stacks.

"I guess, but c'mon guys, Harley Quinn is badass for a girl," Hayner protested, taking a few of the thin books Roxas handed him so he could transport them to the other side of the room. He handed the small stack to Olette and glanced over at Namine who had situated herself on top of one of the shorter shelves. Her blue eyes rolled when they met his, and she let a soft smile grace her features.

"'For a girl,' he says. Are you implying girls aren't as good, Hayner?" Namine questioned with a small tilt of her head, her words catching Olette's attention. The brunette raised her head and frowned slightly before grabbing the nearest empty water bottle from the floor to throw it at the standing male. Ducking away quickly, Hayner grinned and grabbed the bottle from the ground before throwing it back, full force.

"Maybe," he retorted teasingly before wincing when Roxas smacked the back of his head. "Ow, jeez, what the hell was that for?" The blond behind him sighed and adjusted his glasses before shoving another couple of comics into his hands.

"Don't be a sexist jerk, Hayner. And I _swear. _If you so much as get _one _of these comics wet, I don't promise to hold back during Struggle next week," Roxas threatened, his bright cerulean eyes turning cold and vice-like. Hayner backed away slightly and rolled his eyes before passing the comics off to Olette.

"Oh, I'm _so _scared," the teen said dramatically, bringing a hand to his forehead and attempting to pretend to faint. A grin crossed his lips and he turned to slap Roxas on the back playfully. "C'mon, we both know you aren't the best at Struggle." Narrowing his eyes and frowning, Roxas shoved the teen away and slid past him so he could join Kairi and Olette, helping with their work.

"Only because I've held back on you, Hayner. Only because I've held back—"

"Are you brats done bickering yet?" Axel's voice interrupted the conversation, and six pairs of eyes locked onto the redhead's figure as he leaned back against the counter disinterestedly. Hayner clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth in distaste and rolled his eyes.

"Roxas, I _told _you I wasn't going to babysit you and your friends," the redhead groaned, lifting a hand to rub his temples exhaustedly. He'd been listening to constant yelling and arguing for the past three hours, and it wasn't nearly as nice as Roxas had promised it would be. The smaller teen stared at him for a moment before sighing and rolling his eyes.

"You're not babysitting us. If you were, we'd ask for snacks and juice," Roxas retorted with a little smirk, glancing over at his friends who were each forcing back little chuckles and snorts. Axel's eyes narrowed at the comment, and he dragged a hand through his hair in irritation.

"Whatever, shorty. But could you guys _please _shut the fuck up?" he questioned in a low groan, his eyes slipping shut for a minute. Damn, these kids were going to give him a massive headache if he let them keep bickering on about whatever shit they were arguing about earlier.

"Well, since you asked so kindly… No." Grinning, Roxas gave a shrug of his shoulders and adjusted his glasses before putting his hands on his hips, daring Axel to try again. The redhead only peeked his eyes open a crack and sighed deeply.

"Then get out and go play on the playground down the street. I'm sure the other ten year olds would _love _your company," Axel responded, green eyes narrowed and lips twisted into a little smirk. He felt a twinge of pride run through his veins at the offended face of that one friend – his name was Hayner or something – and the dissatisfied look crossing Roxas' features.

"Hey! Watch your mouth, dude," Hayner barked, moving to step over to where the redhead was before Roxas grabbed at his arm and pulled him back. The blond shook his head, and Hayner stared at him for a moment before jerking his arm away and grumbling under his breath. He went to join the girls and Pence, organizing the various comic books with a scowl on his face. "This work is stupid anyways," he grumbled under his breath, turning his head enough to catch the venomous glare Roxas was fixing him with.

"Then you shouldn't have agreed to help," the blond muttered, rolling his eyes before returning his attention to Axel. Crossing his arms over his chest, he stared at the redhead expectantly. Axel stared back just as silently, his expression an unlikely mixture between boredom and mild amusement. "And you – stop being such a jerk," Roxas finally grumbled, running a hand through his hair.

Axel watched him a moment more before bursting into laughter and rolling his eyes. "Stop being a jerk? Only when you stop first, Blondie," the redhead retorted, grinning when blue eyes narrowed at him unhappily.

It took a moment, but Roxas soon turned away from the taller male silently and marched over to where his friends were, crouching down to assist them with the comic books. An uneasy silence fell over the shop, and Axel watched the group communicate through eye contact, briefly wondering what kind of insults were being thrown at him mentally. Just as quickly as he thought about it, however, he decided that he didn't care and shrugged off the thought.

Pushing away from the front counter, Axel jerked a hand through his hair before stuffing it in his pocket and heading towards the six friends huddled on the floor. Namine was the first to notice his approaching presence and glanced up, her bright sapphire eyes locking onto the redhead's form. Silently, she nudged Roxas and nodded towards the taller teen standing across from them, causing a look of suspicious irritation to cross the blond's features.

"What—?"

"I'm gonna go to that smoothie place a couple blocks over. If you pay for your own shit, I'll get you and your nerd squad drinks too," the redhead muttered grudgingly, his eyes focused on Roxas even though everyone had taken to looking up at him in disbelief. Roxas kept his expression blank except for the suspicion crawling in his eyes, and he leaned back on his haunches, crossing his arms over his chest.

"And how am I supposed to know that you won't take our money and run?" the blond questioned, tilting his head to the side slightly. Axel shrugged and leaned his weight back on his left foot, looking down at Roxas warily.

"'Cause even I'm not _that _cheap," Axel responded with a roll of his eyes before he carefully stepped his way around the group and walked over to the door. He glanced over his shoulder when he paused for a moment and waited on an answer from the six teens. "Well? Do you want anything or not?"

"No, we don't want any—"

"I'll take a strawberry smoothie," Olette piped up, a smile gracing her features as she pushed herself up from the floor and grabbed the spare change from her back pocket. Roxas stared at her, jaw slack, as she handed the bills to Axel and returned to her place with a shrug. "What? I'm thirsty."

"Oh, I want a raspberry one!" Kairi suddenly announced, reaching into the pouch she wore around her waist and digging a few dollars out. She waved the money at Axel expectantly, and the redhead sighed before walking over to take it from her.

"Anyone else?" he questioned, looking amongst the group until Namine caught his attention, holding her own money towards him. With a smile, she nodded towards Roxas and handed Axel a few extra bills.

"I'll take a banana smoothie. And Rox wants that mixed berry one they have," she stated, ignoring the look of horror Roxas was giving her. She looked to him and shrugged, her smile from before still gracing her lips.

"Mixed berry? Fruity choice there, shorty," Axel commented with a smirk, only adding to Roxas' expression of horror. The blond's glasses were slipping down the bridge of his nose as he stared in shock, and he quickly fumbled with them to adjust them again. Before he could retort in any way, he was interrupted by Hayner and Pence shoving money and orders towards Axel as well.

"Agh! I feel so betrayed," he groaned melodramatically, throwing his hands up in the air as he gave up on stopping his friends. Above him, Axel grinned and reached down to ruffle his hair in the most irritating way possible. Roxas tried to bat the offending hand away, jerking out from beneath Axel's touch. "Weren't you _leaving_?" he questioned with an indecorous huff, crossing his arms over his chest.

The redhead smirked and shrugged his shoulders before turning to make his way to the door. "If Scrooge drops by, one of you tell him I'm in the bathroom," Axel called over to the group, his smirk still in place as he disappeared outside the door, his eyes dropping to the hand he used to ruffle Roxas' hair. Staring at his fingers for a moment, he let a grin slowly pull at the corners of his lips before he clenched his fingers into a fist and shoved it into his pocket.

And then a thought occurred to him – how in _hell's name_ was he going to carry seven smoothies back to Scrooge's Comics?

* * *

"What's this?" Roxas questioned as he lifted up a small white envelope Axel had slid across the counter, his eyes fixed on the blank paper. He turned it over in his hands carefully, his Converse-clad foot tapping against the counter distractedly. Axel gave a shrug and leaned against the display case to his left, crossing his ankles over one another.

"I know you sent that little brunet kid in here yesterday," he pointed out as he slid a hand in his pocket and chewed on the straw that had been stuck in his smoothie cup earlier. His eyes were fixed on Roxas as the blond worked on opening the envelope and glanced up at him over the rim of his glasses. His expression was difficult to read at first, but Axel didn't miss the little smile tugging on his lips.

"Oh? I don't know what you're talking about," Roxas responded thoughtfully, letting his gaze innocently travel to the ceiling. He couldn't hide the smile on his face, however, and redirected his attention to the envelope his fingers managed to pry open. Reaching inside, he blinked in confusion when the pads of his fingers brushed against several green bills. He looked up at Axel curiously, and the redhead shrugged before glancing over to where piles of sorted comic books rested on top of a few shelves.

"You wanted the money Scrooge gave me, and I added a little extra since you actually sent that kid in here. Jeez, you should've seen how excited he was. It was… actually kinda nice seeing him so happy," Axel admitted, raising a hand to scratch at the back of his neck distractedly. His eyes darted over to Roxas momentarily before returning elsewhere as a sigh slipped from his lips. "You're welcome, by the way."

Staring silently at the redhead across from him, Roxas let the confusion on his face give way to a smile as he looked down at the envelope again and gingerly counted the money it contained. "Thanks," he muttered under his breath before pocketing the money and leaving the white envelope on the counter. Axel muttered something under his breath and waved his hand dismissively before suddenly moving away from the display case.

"Oh yeah, there was one other thing. You left your vest here. Guess your friends distracted me before I could really remember to give it back earlier," the redhead pointed out as he crossed to the other side of the front counter and dug around in a box momentarily. When he stood up straight again, he was tossing the little black vest he'd found to Roxas, and the blond quickly moved to catch it. Cerulean hues eyed the fabric before lighting up with a smile.

"Thanks. Again," Roxas stated, looking up to meet Axel's eyes for a second before the redhead waved his words off and looked over towards the side of the room again.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. It was taking up space," Axel grumbled once he was leaning back against part of the counter, purposely avoiding the blue gaze trying to catch his own. He heard the rustle of fabric as Roxas slid his vest on over his shirt and glanced over at the blond momentarily. Looking away almost instantly, he ran a hand through his hair and let a grin play over his lips. "You look like such a dork when you wear that thing."

"A dork? I thought I was part of 'Roxas and the Nerd Squad,' not, 'Roxas and the Dork Squad.' Having mixed feelings?" Roxas questioned teasingly, laughing a bit under his breath as he smoothed out the wrinkles in his clothes and ran his fingers through his hair to fix a few of the disheveled spikes. Axel rolled his eyes and met the blond's gaze interestedly.

"Nah. You're just a nerdy dork. Does that work better, shorty?" he asked in response, grinning at the way Roxas rolled his eyes and crumpled the envelope Axel had given to him before chucking it at the redhead. Dodging the wadded ball of paper, the taller teen smirked and held his hands up in defense. "Hey now, violence is never the answer, Blondie."

"Maybe not for you," Roxas responded, his lips curling into a playful smile before slipping into a frown when the ringtone of his phone caught his attention. He paused for a moment and dug it out of his pocket, tapping the screen repetitively before letting out a heavy sigh when Axel gave him a questioning look. "Hayner says to hurry my ass up because I'm taking longer than five minutes," the blond pointed out with a small laugh. "So I guess I better get going."

Axel nodded and waved his hand in a shooing motion, expressing his nonexistent need to keep Roxas in the shop any longer. "Then go," he stated, lifting his shoulders slightly before letting them fall in a shrug. Roxas watched him quietly before nodding and shoving his phone into his pocket again.

"I'll be back tomorrow," he called over to Axel as he made his way to the door, waving goodbye. The redhead rolled his eyes and moved to lean forward against the counter instead, lifting a hand in a casual salute.

"I don't work tomorrow. Come back Thursday. And _don't _bring your nerd squad!" Axel yelled after him, watching as the blond laughed, nodded his head in understanding, and departed from the store. Smiling softly, the redhead watched the door for a while longer before he pushed away from the counter and ran a hand through his hair roughly. He let a quiet sigh slip from his lips and shook his head as his mind wandered back to the expression on Roxas' face when he gave him the money he had said he'd keep the day before.

Groaning in irritation at himself, Axel shook his head again and dragged a hand down his face tiredly.

He was _not _getting soft towards Roxas already.

It'd just been an act of gratitude, really.

He was _not _getting soft whatsoever.

Or so he liked to believe.

_**A/N: Anyone else notice how the interest in KH fics has spiked since the announcement of KHIII?  
**_

_**And thanks for all the faves and follows, guys! It really makes me happy!**_


	3. Man of Steel

**Chapter 3: Man of Steel**

Before he knew it, Friday had rolled around and Axel was left in his room with nothing to do on his second day off. Wednesday had been the same, and Thursday was filled with more of Roxas and his friends infiltrating the comic book store with their annoying banter. Even if he complained about their presence, Axel had to admit that he actually tended to enjoy the company from time to time. His own friends had taken off for the summer, and he'd been left alone to wallow around in his own loneliness as soon as school let out.

Groaning when he remembered how he'd been dumped by all of his friends without second thoughts, Axel smacked a hand to his forehead and slowly dragged it over his face irritably. His lips curved into a scowl, and he glared at the white ceiling looming overhead. "Ah, whatever, Axel. Stop mulling over those idiots," he grumbled under his breath before jerking himself up into a sitting position and running a hand through his hair. Emerald eyes inspected the mess of clothes lying on the floor and the muted TV in the corner before rolling at the sight of old band posters beginning to break away from the off-white walls.

Muttering incoherently to himself, the redhead stood from his bed, listening as rusted springs and coils creaked at the movement, and stretched his arms over his head. He shook his head and fished a clean t-shirt out of his dresser, pulled it on haphazardly, and made his way downstairs, the wooden steps creaking unhappily beneath his bare feet. Cold linoleum bit at his toes as he crossed the small living room and headed for the kitchen, scratching at the back of his neck absently.

Casually and disinterestedly, Axel glanced around the nearby area and took note of the TV playing in the living room followed by the vacant couch and end table stocked with empty beer cans. He rolled his eyes and idly wondered how old the cans were as he stepped into the kitchen and grabbed a box of Moogle Munchies from a nearby cabinet. He could vaguely make out the sound of footsteps nearby, but he didn't pay much attention to the noise and continued preparing his breakfast instead, dumping the remaining contents of the cereal box into a bowl and adding just enough milk to satisfy his tastes.

The redhead snagged a clean spoon from the drawer and absently glanced at the dirty dishes piled in the sink as he began to eat. He knew he should probably get around to cleaning those before he got yelled at, but instead of making a move to actually do something about them, he just turned away and walked into the living room instead with a spoonful of cereal shoved into his mouth.

"_Five murder cases in the Radiant Springs area have just been confirmed by the local police force. All are said to have somehow happened simultaneously, although the murderers are unknown as of this moment—"_

"What bullshit." Blinking slightly, Axel looked up from the TV to the man who had entered the room only moments ago, his spoon-holding hand stopping midway to his mouth. His eyes briefly glanced over the older man before rolling and returning to the television as the woman onscreen continued to explain the updated news.

"What makes you say that?" Axel questioned as he leaned against the archway connecting the kitchen to the living room, paying little mind to the man ambling his way through the room in search of a quick breakfast. He shoved another spoonful of munchies into his mouth and chewed the moogle-shaped cornflakes with ease while he waited for a response that came in the form of an annoyed grunt followed by the sound of rustling bags.

"No one in this damned town is smart enough to plot out simultaneous murders. It's just a ploy to get people riled up. Nothing happens here anyways. You of all people should know that." Contemplating the words, Axel gave a shrug of his shoulders and sighed around the spoon in his mouth. He released the silverware from between his teeth and waved it dismissively.

"It's funny you should say that. A lot's happened to me recently actually," Axel responded, his head tilting back over his shoulder slightly until his gaze could lock onto the other man. He watched silently as he fumbled with a bag of Traverse Twists, briefly wondering when those had been bought.

"Is that why you still haven't washed the dishes? They don't clean themselves, you know." Narrowing his eyes, the redhead snorted and returned to staring at the TV instead, finishing off the rest of his cereal quickly.

"I've been working. You know that. I'll do them later." Axel gave a small shrug and turned to step into the kitchen itself, adding his empty bowl to the pile of dishes waiting to be cleaned. He leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest, glancing around the small room. Maybe he should convince Roxas to come organize his house just like he did with the shop…

Blinking in surprise when he caught himself thinking about Roxas, Axel quickly shook his head and sighed. "Where's Nala? I haven't heard her all morning. It's about time for her walk," the redhead pointed out, looking over to the window with a view of the small yard on the side of his house. He spotted the side of the doghouse situated near the far corner of the chain link fence and the empty food bowls, but the usual Golden Retriever wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"Dunno. She might've gotten out," the other man pointed out with a simple shrug of his shoulders. Axel's eyes widened at the thought, and he pushed away from the counter quickly to make his way to the rickety door on the side of his house. As soon as the hinges squealed and whined, a perky golden dog came rushing out of the doghouse, nearly tackling Axel to the ground when he opened the door. "Or she might've been sleeping the day away," came the additional response from the man across the room.

Rolling his eyes, Axel kneeled down and raked his hands through the dog's soft fur, muttering about how much of a worry she'd given him. "C'mon, you spoiled brat. I'll take ya on a walk. How's that? We'll go down to YRP's and get some smoothies. Or, _I'll_ get a smoothie anyways." Grinning when he was given what he assumed was a bark of approval, the redhead stood and let Nala nudge her way into the house, watching as she sniffed around the kitchen curiously.

"Who said you could go out? You've got dishes to do." Rolling his eyes, Axel shot a glare towards the other man and sighed heavily.

"I did. I told you – I'll do them later. But she's gotta have her walk, and it's not like _you're _going to walk her," the teen pointed out, dragging a hand through his hair warily. He ignored the unpleasant look being shot at him and shuffled into the living room, pausing for a moment to listen as the news broadcaster relayed information about various topics. He frowned slightly when she mentioned the spike in moogle-related products being bought all over town and rolled his eyes.

"If anything's bullshit, it's how many teenage girls and their little sisters are obsessed with moogles. They're the new hype or something now," Axel grunted as he glanced over to the kitchen momentarily. He heard a rough scoff and raised a curious brow. "What?"

"Says the man who was eating Moogle Munchies just a while ago." Tensing slightly, the redhead's expression soured into a frown, his gaze directed to the entrance of the kitchen. Beside him, Nala nudged against his knee and moved to paw at his thigh impatiently, successfully getting his attention. With a little chuckle, Axel dropped to his knees and pulled the dog into a playful hug.

"I know, I know. You wanna go for a walk. Daddy's gonna take you down to YRP's soon, just you wait," Axel cooed, running his fingers through soft fur and dodging the dog's tongue as she tried to lick his face. He laughed and rolled his eyes, moving to put her in a loose headlock. The dog wriggled around and tried to back away, but Axel kept her where she was, scratching between her ears.

"I still say you should do the dishes first," came the familiar voice from the kitchen followed by the sound of porcelain hitting porcelain. Axel rolled his eyes and let go of Nala, wincing slightly as she practically jumped onto his back with her paws against his shoulders. Leaning forward, the redhead glanced up as the other man leaned against the entrance of the kitchen, his arms crossed and a cold expression on his face.

"And I still say you should clean up your damn beer cans," Axel finally retorted, reaching up to scratch the side of Nala's head as she barked at the man across from them. "And she agrees, so I must be right."

"Axel. Dishes. _Now_," the other male stated flatly, his glare boring holes in the redhead on the floor. Instead of responding, however, the teen only stared back disinterestedly and rolled his eyes. He turned his head slightly and muttered to the dog against his back, grinning slightly when she hopped down and ran upstairs instead, her golden tail wagging happily.

"She's a smart dog," the redhead mused as he pushed himself up from the floor and stretched his back. He knew he wasn't being amusing and finally turned to return the glare being shot at him. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he grinned lazily and gave a shrug of his shoulders. "Clean up your own messes. I'm going out."

Without waiting for much of a response, Axel turned his attention to Nala as she padded down the steps with a pair of tennis shoes gripped in her mouth. She dropped them to the floor by Axel and looked up at the redhead expectantly as he slipped his feet into the loose shoes.

"Axel, I'm warning you," the man grunted, pushing away from the archway and reaching out for the teen. Axel simply rolled his eyes and moved away from the man's grasp, leading his dog over to the door where he fished a leash out of the box resting by the doorframe. He hooked it through the ring in Nala's collar and pulled the door open, sighing deeply.

"And I'm _telling _you; I'm going out. I'll be back before dark, and I'll do the damn dishes _then._" Rolling his eyes again, the redhead promptly followed his dog as she rushed out the door excitedly. He glanced back at the front door of his house for a moment before shaking his head and running a hand through his hair, his legs working to keep up with the Golden Retriever leading him down the street.

"Yeah right, I'm not doing any damned dishes any day soon. Do them yourself, _dad._"

* * *

"So you really _do _like that mixed berry smoothie," Axel mused with a grin, sipping at his own chocolate almond smoothie. Across from him, Roxas rolled his eyes and attempted to disappear into the plush leather of the booth Axel had forced him into. Honestly, when he walked into YRP's with Nala at his side, the last thing the redhead had expected to see was his familiar blond acquaintance at the front counter. He hadn't complained, however, and instead convinced the guy to hang out for a while.

"Yeah, so what?" Roxas grumbled unhappily, arms crossed over his chest and head turned towards the window. Axel gave a shrug and glanced down at the obedient dog lying beside the booth. He had her leash wrapped around his wrist, but she was simply quietly watching the three girls running the smoothie shop.

"Nothing. I just wasn't sure if you actually liked them. That one chick ordered one for you the other day, but you didn't even _touch _it," the redhead pointed out with a shrug, taking another sip from his drink while watching Roxas interestedly. The blond hadn't touched his smoothie since Axel sat him down at the booth, but he figured that he _had _to like it if he spent his own money on one.

"Well of course I didn't," Roxas responded, blue eyes glancing towards Axel through the rims of his glasses. He kept his arms crossed over his chest tightly until the redhead nodded towards the untouched cup on the table and reminded him that he'd be wasting a good eight dollars if he didn't hurry up and drink it. Rolling his eyes, the blond reached for his drink and reluctantly sucked on the straw, eyeing Axel suspiciously. "Why did you insist I sit here and drink smoothies with you?"

Giving an easy shrug of his shoulders, the redhead leaned back against the leather cushioning and threw an arm over the back of the booth seat, yawning slightly. "I dunno. I was bored, felt like talking to someone, and you were the only person to talk to." Eye twitching slightly at the response, Roxas sighed and adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose.

"Nice to know it was only because I'm the only one to talk to. You could've talked with Yuna, Rikku, or Paine instead," the blond pointed out, glancing at the girls as they conversed with each other, took orders, and made smoothies with remarkable coordination.

"They're too busy to talk," Axel stated with a shrug, leaning his head back and looking over at the front counter momentarily. His gaze lingered on the girls just a while longer before he looked to Roxas again, watching as the blond finally began to drink his smoothie with ease. "Hey, I've got a question."

Raising his eyebrows slightly, Roxas glanced up Axel and idly bit on the end of his straw. "What?" he asked simply, waiting for Axel's question. The redhead seemed to hesitate a moment before releasing a sigh and running his hand through his hair.

"Did you hear about those murders? The simultaneous ones?" Roxas stared at him quietly for a few seconds before slowly nodding and setting his drink back on the table. He stretched his arms and ran his fingers through blond spikes absently, watching Axel curiously.

"Yeah. They're all over the place. I heard about them earlier today. My mom thinks it's a fluke, and my dad's not convinced." Shrugging, Roxas leaned back against the booth and fiddled with the suspenders attached to his pants, his eyes remaining fixed on Axel. The redhead nodded at his response and tugged the straw out of his own empty smoothie cup, chewing on the end distractedly.

"What about you? What do you think?" he questioned around the plastic in his mouth, curious about the blond's opinion on the matter for some reason. Personally, he wasn't too fond of the idea of coordinated killers roaming around, but it wasn't like he'd actually believe it was true until given proof.

"I'm not sure. It'd be cool if they were awesome assassins like Elektra or something, but I doubt that's the case. Or they could be mercenaries like Taskmaster if they're even real people. And then we'd need to have a superhero like Daredevil to fight them—"

"Blondie, Blondie, stop. I asked what you think about the situation – not for a twisted story turning the whole thing into some comical ideal," Axel interrupted, his features twisted in confusion at the blond's words. "Besides, the _last _things we need in this damn town are assassins and mercenaries. You sound like you_ want _to get killed by them," the redhead pointed out, getting distracted by his dog when the charms on her collar jingled noisily. Across from him, Roxas pursed his lips and busied himself with drinking his smoothie again instead.

"I don't _want _to be killed by anyone – whether they have super powers or not," the blond grumbled under his breath, glancing away from Axel as the man reached down to scratch behind his dog's ears. He heard something that sounded extremely like, "Superpowers don't exist, you idiot," and rolled his eyes to himself.

A mildly comfortable silence ended up falling over the two, and Roxas discreetly watched as Axel messed with the dog by their booth. He wondered how much bribing it had taken to get Paine to agree with letting the pet inside the shop, but he decided it wasn't worth asking. Sighing to himself, Roxas leaned forward and rested his elbow on the table, propping his head up with his chin in his palm. He continued to watch the redhead mutter sweet nothings to his dog and couldn't help but smile at the sight.

Roxas let himself stare at the other teen for a while, interest and curiosity swimming in his blue eyes as he watched. He had no idea that Axel could be so…gentle and active with something. He'd only ever seen the redhead lazing around and doing his best to avoid conversations with Roxas or his friends. It was unusual to see him keeping a one-sided conversation with his dog. But the blond had to admit – he was beginning to wonder what it would be like to have normal, simple conversations with Axel without constantly worrying about the teasing or bantering that always seemed to pop up.

A day with Axel where neither one of them would get pissed off with each other – it was a nice thought; a _really_ nice thought. But it was also something Roxas liked to call a far off dream that wouldn't happen in a million years.

"Hey, Roxas, I've got another question for you." Breaking out of his thoughts, Roxas blinked slightly and glanced away quickly, hoping that Axel hadn't caught him staring. Shit, he probably knew and that's what he was going to ask about, wasn't it? Great. Groaning at the thought, Roxas switched which hand he was using to prop his head up and turned his gaze to the window once more, not even noticing the fact Axel had called him by his name.

"What is it this time?" the blond questioned in a low grumble, shooting a tiny glance back at Axel as the man sat upright again, half of his straw sticking out from the corner of his mouth.

"Have you spent the money I gave you a couple days ago?" Axel asked innocently, catching Roxas off guard and causing the blond to nearly face plant the table out of surprise. He looked over at Axel slowly, simply staring at him before shaking his head in response. The redhead grinned in what seemed to be success but stayed silent until he noticed Roxas staring at him incredulously. "What? I was just curious if you spent it or not."

Blue eyes narrowed skeptically, and the blond watched Axel carefully before letting a soft sigh escape his lips. "Seriously? Why would you care if I spent it anyways?" Roxas asked simply enough, straightening his posture and moving a hand to fix the hair that managed to slip beneath the top rim of his glasses. Axel gave a short shrug of his shoulders and nodded over towards the front counter.

"Fine, fine, you got me. I was gonna bribe you into buying me another smoothie," Axel stated with a lazy grin, raising his hands in mock defeat. Roxas pegged him with a hard glare, and the redhead's grin only grew in response. "Well? Gonna buy me one?"

"Why would I buy _you _a smoothie?" the blond questioned, trying to keep up his glare. It really wasn't a difficult thing to do as long as Axel grinned at him like the smug, arrogant ass he was. So much for hoping for a day of peace with the redhead.

"Oh, how your words wound me," the older taller teen dramatized, laughing under his breath and smirking at the annoyed expression that crossed Roxas' features. "I was hoping that you'd be ever so kind and return the kindness I showed you on Tuesday," Axel added in afterwards, letting his hands fall to the tabletop gracelessly. He shifted the gnawed-on straw between his teeth and watched Roxas expectantly, raising a thoughtful brow.

"What kindness?" It was a simple, expected response, but _maybe _the blond could've gone about trying to hide the bitter tone underlying the words. He wasn't about to let Axel steal the money he'd earned, _again._

"Oh, you know, giving your vest back, buying drinks for your friends, and giving you money. Last I checked, those were all acts of kindness," the redhead pointed out, reaching over to place his hand on his dog's head, scratching between her ears gently. "Right, Nala? I was nice to him, wasn't I?" he asked with a little grin, glancing up at Roxas when the dog barked her agreement and nuzzled his hand. "See? Even she thinks so."

Groaning, Roxas rolled his eyes and ran his hand through his hair exasperatedly, the blond strands moving fluidly between his fingers. "Alright, fine, _whatever. _I'll buy you another smoothie," the blond groaned in defeat. So much for not letting Axel waste the money he'd earned. Axel grinned and stood up almost immediately, the dog by his side following suit.

"Great! I'll take another chocolate almond one, shorty."

"And you're telling me this _why_?" Roxas asked with a scowl, shifting to grab his wallet from his back pocket. He dug around for a few dollars before just tossing a ten onto the table and crossing his arms over his arms. "Get it yourself." At this, Axel feigned a look of hurt and slipped his free hand in the pocket of his jeans.

"You're not coming?" he questioned, the same hurt expression on his features. He made no move to grab the money on the table, and Roxas sighed heavily before giving a monotone, "No." Axel rolled his eyes and grinned, leaning back on his foot casually. "C'mon, be nice and buy it _for _me. It's not the same if I just take your money and buy it myself."

"Yes it is," Roxas deadpanned, looking up at Axel warily. When the redhead didn't say anything and simply raised his eyebrows as if asking, "Oh really now?" the blond sighed again and jerked another hand through his hair. "Okay, _fine._" Mumbling something incoherent under his breath, Roxas scooted to the end of the booth and slipped out, taking a moment to adjust his clothes. He snatched the bill on the table and didn't give Axel a second glance before walking over to the front counter and giving Rikku the order.

Axel watched with an amused glint in his eyes as the blond reluctantly ordered a drink for him, laughing softly under his breath. "Just how much do you hate me, Roxas?" he asked himself, shaking his head and running a hand through his hair distractedly. "Can't blame him though. I have kinda made it a hobby to get him pissed off like this. What did I even say this time?" Before he had a chance to ponder what he'd done to get a pissy Roxas on his hands, Axel found a smoothie cup being thrust into his hands.

"There. Happy now?" the blond grunted with an unhappy scowl, his eyes gazing directly at Axel's face from behind the thick frames of his glasses. Simply staring back for a moment, Axel watched him curiously before shrugging and tugging on Nala's leash to get her on her feet again.

"I am," he stated simply as he nudged past the smaller teen and spit his abused straw in the trash. He paused for a moment before glancing over his shoulder and motioning for Roxas to join him. "Walk with me?" Roxas stared skeptically before shaking his head slipping his hands in the small pockets of the skinny jeans hugging his legs in a way that made it difficult for Axel to keep his eyes on the kid's _upper _body.

"I can't. I'm supposed to meet up with Hayner and Olette to go see a movie soon," Roxas pointed out, blue eyes darting over to the customized moogle-shaped clock hanging above the front counter. Damn, those things were everywhere. If it wasn't moogle, it wasn't cool. Moogles were like the fucking Hello Kitty of Radiant Springs. Groaning at the thought, Roxas rubbed his temples and moved to walk past Axel just to be stopped by a hand gripping his wrist.

"How 'bout you catch a movie with me instead?" the redhead questioned innocently, catching Roxas off guard. The blond felt his jaw work uselessly for a minute, only managing to sputter out a simple monosyllable word: "_What_?"

Rolling his eyes, Axel moved to push the front door open with his back, slipping out of the building and tugging Roxas with him while Nala trotted alongside them obediently. "I _said _you should catch a movie with _me_ instead," the redhead reiterated, glancing at Roxas as the blond tried to free his wrist from his grasp.

"_Yeah right. _Why should I see a movie with you of all people?" Roxas bit out, blue eyes narrowed while he pried Axel's fingers from his wrist and jerked free of his hold. He rubbed at the flesh tenderly and fixed his glasses, waiting for a response. Axel only sighed and bent down to be eye level with his dog, grinning pressing his cheek against the golden fur lovingly.

"Because she likes you. And I think I should try to be friendly with you if Nala's taken a liking to you," the redhead lied easily, smirking up at Roxas playfully. The blond frowned back at him and crossed his arms over his chest.

"So I should let you be my friend because your _dog _likes me? No thanks." _I'd rather you like me yourself, asshole. _Sighing at his thoughts, Roxas shook his head and shifted impatiently. "Are you done being stupid yet? I seriously need to catch up with my friends."

"She's not the only one that likes you though," Axel groaned, rolling his eyes and leaning against his dog heavily. The Golden Retriever faltered momentarily but quickly took to licking at Axel's cheek, giving the redhead multiple wet kisses. He couldn't help but to grin and try to pull away, shoving her away gently.

"Are you implying that _you _like me? I thought you hated me," Roxas grumbled after a moment, staring down at Axel with vigilant eyes. The last thing he needed was to have the redhead mess with his mind and play tricks on him. He snorted at the fake look of surprise Axel pegged him with and kicked at the ground distractedly. "Well?"

"Contrary to popular belief, I don't _hate _you, per se. You just annoy me—"

"Feeling's mutual," Roxas cut in, grumbling mostly to himself and ignoring the scowl Axel shot towards him.

"—_sometimes_. Even more contrary to belief, I actually _do _like you when you're being normal. Is that a problem?" As he explained himself halfheartedly, Axel messed with the thick golden fur under his fingers, dodging more doggy kisses in the meantime. Roxas only stared at him skeptically, far from trusting his words.

"And how am I supposed to know you're not lying to me?" the blond questioned carefully, rocking on his heels absentmindedly. Axel responded with a shrug and kissed the top of his dog's head before standing up with a grunt of effort.

"Why would I lie?" he questioned with a heavy sigh, looking at Roxas with utmost irritation. Why couldn't he just agree to go see a damn movie and let the redhead prove he wasn't only out to ruin his life?

"Why wouldn't you?" Roxas shot back haughtily, eyes narrowed and staring at Axel intently.

"Goddamnit, you're so _difficult_. Okay – _fine. _I offer to take you to a free movie, I try to tell you I don't fucking hate you, I remind you that I _have _been nice to you before, and you're still an annoying brat. Okay, whatever. I can find better things to use the thirty bucks on anyways," Axel groaned, throwing his hands in the air melodramatically. "_Sorry_ for trying to learn more about you outside of the damn comic shop."

Silently and skeptically, Roxas continued to watch the redhead as the man went off at him and turned to leave. He couldn't deny that it was true – Axel _had _been showing him generous amounts of kindness and hints that he'd like to be friends. But he was also _so _fucking annoying sometimes.

Sighing, the blond jerked his head away from Axel's direction and shoved his hands into his pockets as deeply as he could. "Fine." He heard footsteps come to a halt and pursed his lips slightly, shooting a quick glance over at Axel.

"What?" the redhead questioned, dumbfounded by Roxas' simple response. The blond heaved another heavy sigh and turned to face Axel, avoiding eye contact.

"I said fine. I'll go to the movies with you instead," he responded once more, clearly stating his choice. He waited for Axel to snort and roll his eyes, but he was only met with laughter and a pale arm being slung around his shoulders. Grimacing at the contact, Roxas pushed at the redhead to get him way. "I said you could take me to the movies, not touch me."

"Aw, I thought putting my arm around your shoulders was included with the friend package," Axel responded with a grin, bringing his previously forgotten smoothie to his lips and turning to walk in the direction of the local theatre. Nala wagged her tail by his side and barked playfully, beckoning Roxas to join them.

"I never said I was your friend, either," Roxas pointed out with a sigh, raking his fingers through his hair and moving to join Axel and his dog, making sure that the Golden Retriever ended up in the middle. He'd have to think up an excuse to get out of the splash zone of Hayner's soon-to-be anger with him, but he figured he could worry about that later.

"Oh, right, my bad. I thought it came with the _no-longer-enemies _package. Sorry for that mishap," the redhead corrected, his grin growing ever-larger. Roxas sighed and rolled his eyes at the comment.

"Yeah, whatever," he grumbled, watching his reflection pass beside him in the tinted windows of shops lined along the street. He warily stared back at himself and shot discreet glances to Axel's dim reflection as well, amusedly wondering what he was getting himself into.

Clearing his throat, he soon turned his head to look up at the redhead once the strip of stores ended, no longer providing him with a decent distraction. "So, what movie are we supposed to see anyways? I don't even know what's playing. Hayner wanted to see the new Fast and Furious before it leaves theatres for good."

Beside him, Axel gave a simple shrug of his shoulders and turned his face up towards the sky once they reached the crosswalk, waiting for the walking signal to appear. A grin crossed his lips, and the redhead glanced down at Roxas briefly.

"I was thinking we could see Man of Steel."

Roxas tried to hide the smile that pulled at his lips by quickly turning his head away and laughing to himself, but Axel watched him with a growing smirk anyways and ran a hand through his own hair.

That was probably the first time he saw Roxas genuinely laugh or smile because of him, and he had to admit – the sight was nothing short of beautiful.

* * *

"That was _amazing_! Seriously! I loved it!" Axel laughed as Roxas exclaimed his love for the two-and-a-half-hour long movie, his tailbone sore from sitting in the crusty theatre chairs for such a long time. He was sure there were bits of popcorn in his hair from that stupid kid that had ended up behind him, and his eyes were adjusting to the odd coloring of the world outside the theatre. The sun was still bright, and the summer air was filtered to provide a dry heat that clung to his clothes stubbornly.

"So, finally glad you decided to go to the movies with me instead?" the redhead questioned as he ran his hands over the front of his shirt, swiping at any leftover pieces of popcorn and candy sticking to the fabric. Beside him, Roxas sipped at his soda that he snuck out of the theatre and grinned up at Axel happily.

"Yeah, I am. I actually had a nice time. You didn't annoy me the whole time, and the movie was _great_," Roxas responded honestly, mildly surprised he actually enjoyed himself as much as he did. He had been expecting Axel to constantly keep talking or making crude comments during the movie to ruin it for him, but the redhead had kept peacefully quiet. He heard said teenager snort and tilted his head curiously, adjusting the glasses resting on the bridge of his nose. "What?"

"It's like you expected me to annoy you. Didn't I tell you I was trying to be _friendly_?" Axel muttered, rolling his eyes and slipping his hands in the deep pockets of his jeans. He shook a stray strand of hair from his face and glanced up at the cloudless sky. He'd dropped Nala off at his house before arriving at the theatre a few minutes late, and he idly wondered if the dog had begged for food yet.

"Well, yeah, but that doesn't mean I believed you," Roxas pointed out, ignoring the playful glare Axel pegged him with and gnawing on the end of his straw distractedly. He snuck a glance up at the redhead as they walked, his feet carrying him in the direction of his own house without much thought. "But I think I believe you now. After a free, uninterrupted movie, I guess I'm alright with you being nice to me." The blond smirked a little around the plastic between his teeth and let his gaze turn forward again.

"Nice to know I had to waste money on you to get you to believe my intentions," Axel muttered under his breath, grinning and looking down at the blond beside him. Roxas rolled his eyes and laughed a bit, using his soda as a distraction so that he wouldn't look up at Axel again. He could feel the redhead's eyes on him, but he didn't pay them much mind and focused on polishing off the sugary liquid in his cup instead.

"It wasn't a waste," the blond muttered, yawning slightly. "Well, as long as you _wanted _to take me to see the movie, it wasn't a waste, anyways." Axel nodded in agreement and sighed, lifting and dropping his shoulders in a neutral shrug.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. So maybe it wasn't a waste." The redhead shrugged again and let his eyes move to the street he was currently walking beside Roxas on. The pavement was cracked and stained with sun marks and melted gum, but Axel had long since grown used to the sidewalk being kept under low maintenance.

Roxas gave a short nod in response and smiled around his straw, drinking the remaining soda his cup held. He didn't pull away, however, once the container was empty aside from the few drops that clung to the sides inside. Instead, he just stayed quiet and watched as his Converse-clad feet passed over broken cement.

An easy silence filled the space between him and Axel, and Roxas was oddly at peace around the redhead as they walked back to his house. Even if his day _had _consisted of a little bickering and getting pissed off at Axel earlier, he had to admit that the second half of his day was something he figured would never happen. But he wasn't complaining. It was nice. Axel wasn't like his other friends, and it was a change Roxas found himself liking.

Blinking slightly when he felt a weight suddenly rest against his shoulders, the blond looked up to find that Axel had wrapped his arm around him again though the redhead's gaze was set directly forward. A slight smile pulled at his lips, and he rolled his eyes before leaning into the touch ever so slightly. He knew the action surprised the taller male when his head quickly turned to look down at Roxas, but the blond only shook his head and smirked.

"It came with the friend package."


End file.
